125 Strange Deaths
“The He family?”
Ning Shi’s interest was suddenly piqued. The person who had caused trouble for his company last time was He Chuankun from the He family.
At that time, he had been very suspicious of the incident. He Chuankun’s actions when he caused trouble for Ning Shi’s company were too coincidental.
Now that the He family was also involved in the Zong family’s troubles, he suspected that there was something fishy going on.
Ning Shi asked, “Ren, who sent the threatening letter? Has your family found the culprit? Are you aware of the effects of the drink that the culprit asked your family to help produce?”
Zong Shangren shook his head and said, “I am not privy to the details. My father kept it from me and only told me to go home quickly. I only knew about this incident when my elder brother told me. He did so because he was worried that I would be in danger at school.”
He continued, “According to him, the second threatening letter was sent at noon the day before yesterday, and the deadline is tomorrow noon. After tomorrow noon, if our family doesn’t give a clear answer, the culprit will start a massacre in our house.
“The Investigation Department has already sent quite a few additional experts to my house, but my father doesn’t trust them. When the three nannies died, the Investigation Department’s people were present in my house and they didn’t find anything amiss. So, my father has hired an expert himself.”
Those who could expand their business to the entire country and become top tycoons were not ordinary folk.
This was especially so for a veteran in a traditional industry like Zong Qing. He had been in the business for decades and had a strong network in political and business circles.
“Who did your father invite?” Ning Shi asked curiously.
Zong Shangren frowned and said, “My family and the Yi family have been friends for generations. My aunt married Yi Guoqing. Yi Shengjia is my cousin. Originally, my father was going to ask my uncle-in-law to come over to help. Unfortunately, my uncle-in-law has a very important matter that popped up at the last minute that he has to attend to, so he sent Yi Shengjia over to deal with this matter.”
From Zong Shangren’s tone, Ning Shi could sense the former’s hostility towards Yi Shengjia.
The two of them were technically cousins. Even if they were not the best of friends, they should not be enemies.
There was definitely a hidden story behind this.
However, this was his disciple’s private matter. Ning Shi did not want to probe.
Since this matter was related to the safety of his disciple’s family and also involved the very problematic He family, Ning Shi decided to pay the Zong family a visit.
He said to Zong Shangren, “Buy tickets for the earliest flight back to your hometown. I’ll travel back with you and settle this matter as soon as possible. You’ll have to rush back tomorrow afternoon to participate in the selection.”
He continued, “Your main task now is to cultivate and compete. I will take care of your family matters, so don’t worry too much.”
When he heard Ning Shi’s words, Zong Shangren was both happy and touched. He thanked Ning Shi seriously. “Thank you, Master! I’ll buy the tickets now.”
Zong Shangren quickly booked a 5 p.m. flight. The two of them took a taxi and rushed to the airport.
Fortunately, the flight was only half an hour late.
The plane took off at 5:30 p.m. and landed at Shangmo City’s Chang Hong Airport at 7:10 p.m.
Zong Shangren had already told his family that Ning Shi was coming.
The Zong family welcomed Ning Shi’s arrival with open arms.
The Zong family’s eldest son, who was also Zong Shangren’s elder brother, Zong Shangcheng, had personally come to pick them up from the airport.
Zong Shangcheng said, “Principal Ning, thank you for coming all this way to help us. My father couldn’t come to welcome you personally because he needed to stay at home. He specifically asked me to express my apologies. He has mentioned to me many times that he wants to host a grand apprenticeship ceremony for Shangren and you. He hopes that you won’t turn us down.”
Zong Shangren had once mentioned to Ning Shi that his family wanted to hold an apprenticeship ceremony for Ning Shi, but the latter had rejected it.
For one, Ning Shi didn’t like to be extravagant. Secondly, he didn’t have any good memories of the apprenticeship ceremony.
To a traditional family like the Zong family, it was extremely rude for their children to not hold a proper ceremony to formally acknowledge their master.
Ning Shi waved his hand and said courteously, “Mr. Zong, you’re welcome. We’re all young people, so we should speak freely.”
Zong Shangcheng was 28 years old this year and had just graduated not long ago. He did not like to be pedantic either; all this was forced upon him by Zong Qing.
Hearing Ning Shi’s words, he knew that Ning Shi wasn’t a person who put on airs. So, he tugged at the expensive tie around his neck and completely pulled it off.
“Haha, Principal Ning, this is much more comfortable. Let’s go. The car is in the underground parking lot. Once we get into the car, I’ll tell you more about the situation at home.”
Zong Shangcheng was very surprised when he saw Zong Shangren follow behind Ning Shi obediently.
His little brother was a devil incarnate at home. Even his father couldn’t control him. Zong Shangcheng hadn’t expected him to be so obedient to Principal Ning Shi.
Based on this alone, Zong Shangcheng could tell that there was more to Ning Shi than met the eye.
When they arrived at the underground parking lot, the driver was already waiting in the car. It was an extended version of a Rolls Royce.
In the past, Ning Shi might have looked disdainful on the surface, but he would definitely be thrilled to see such a top luxury car.
However, his worldview was different now. He could have any luxury car at his fingertips, so he was calm when he saw the car.
Zong Shangcheng motioned for his brother to sit in the front seat, while he accompanied Ning Shi in the back.
He opened the wooden wine cabinet in the middle of the back seat and took out a bottle of red wine.
Ning Shi quickly said, “Mr. Zong, I don’t drink, so just tell me about your family’s current situation.”
Zong Shangcheng put the red wine back and took out a tea set. The back of this luxury car had been completely transformed into a reception room.
The driver saw Zong Shangcheng’s actions and skillfully set the car to cruise. In addition, the road conditions in Shangmo City were very good, so the ride was smooth.
Zong Shangcheng plugged in the kettle and boiled the water as he began to say, “Principal Ning, I’m sure Shangren has told you about the threatening letters.”
“To prevent Shang Ren from worrying, I concealed part of their contents. The letter stated that if our Zong family doesn’t cooperate with the other party, after tomorrow noon, our entire family will die. Not a single person would be spared. In order to make us believe the contents of the letter, a cousin of mine, who was in charge of my family business in Central City, was killed by them,” he added.
He continued, “After listening to the opinions of another cousin of ours and the Investigation Department, Father hesitated for a long time before deciding to gather all the Zong family members.”
Ning Shi did not speak. In such times, every decision was difficult.
If all of their relatives returned to the Zong residence, it would be easy for them to be wiped out by the other party. However, if everyone was scattered outside, none of them could be protected at all.
When they returned to the Zong residence, the Investigation Department and the experts hired by the Zong family would be there. They would at least have a chance of survival.
Many people in the Zong family believed that the person who sent the threatening letter would not dare to come to the residence to cause trouble after tomorrow noon.
If the other party came to cause trouble, with the experts currently stationed in the Zong family residence, the former would be dealt with on the spot.
If they didn’t come, it would be equivalent to guarding against thieves. The experts hired by the Investigation Department and the Zong family wouldn’t be able to protect them for too long a time.
Once this protective force was gone, the Zong family would be in danger again.
Even Zong Shangcheng had complicated feelings over this.
He wanted the culprit to come to seek his own death, but he was also afraid that the other party was too powerful and his family would not be able to handle them.
Zhong Shangcheng revealed, “The Investigation Department has already guessed the source of the threatening letter.”
Ning Shi’s expression changed, and he asked tentatively, “Is it the He family?”
Zong Shangcheng nodded his head solemnly. “The He family’s behavior has been very abnormal over the past one to two months. The Investigation Department has been observing them since the beginning. After the threatening letter incident at my house, He Yunfan actually dared to call my father directly to tell him that the He family had also been threatened. He claimed that resistance was futile and many people had died. He wanted us to cooperate with the culprit, just like the He family did.”
Ning Shi was also speechless. He Yunfan’s behavior was undoubtedly like a player directly exposing his identity as a wolf during a game. The phone call he made was practically telling everyone that there was a problem with the He family.
With He Yunfan’s methods and wisdom, how could he have acted so foolishly?
The water in the kettle was boiling. Zong Shangcheng rinsed the teacups and began to make tea.
“The Investigation Department has checked the handwriting of the threatening letters and found that it is very similar to He Yunfan’s handwriting. There are only some minor differences,” he said as he made tea.
Ning Shi could not help but ask, “During such critical times, wouldn’t it be better to capture the wrong person than let the culprit roam free? Did the Investigation Department take any action against the He family?”
Zong Shangcheng shook his head. He placed the teacup in front of Ning Shi and poured him a cup of tea.
He then explained, “There are three main reasons why the Investigation Department hasn’t taken action yet. Firstly, the He family is a wealthy family that is renowned throughout the entire country. They have deep connections. Without concrete evidence, the Investigation Department wouldn’t dare to touch them as it would leave a bad impression.
Secondly, He Yunfan had been very kind in his early years. He had donated money to many poor students and even raised 311 children under his umbrella. Not only did he raise them, but he also contributed money and manpower to their marriages and house purchases. Among the 311 children, one of them is now a high-ranking officer in the government.
If there is concrete evidence, with the upright personality of the officer, he will not stand in the way of the department getting rid of the He family. However, if they were to touch the He family based on groundless accusations, who would face the wrath of the officer if it was a misunderstanding?
The last and most important reason is that the Investigation Department still can’t figure out how the three nannies died in my house.”
Zong Shangcheng drank a cup of tea and said bitterly, “Despite being under the protection of three consultants and an entire brigade from the Investigation Department, the three nannies all died mysteriously. In order to ensure everyone’s safety, my house is now equipped with surveillance cameras with no blind spots. From the surveillance footage, the three nannies were fine one moment and fell to the ground dead the next. After they died, their eyes were wide open and they had fearful expressions, as if they had seen something terrifying.”
He continued, “All the women in the house, including my mom, are praying to the Buddha at home, saying that there’s a ghost in the house! The Investigation Department can’t figure out the enemy’s methods. Rashly making a move on the He family is equivalent to alerting the enemy.”
125 Strange Deaths
“The He family?”
Ning Shi’s interest was suddenly piqued. The person who had caused trouble for his company last time was He Chuankun from the He family.
At that time, he had been very suspicious of the incident. He Chuankun’s actions when he caused trouble for Ning Shi’s company were too coincidental.
Now that the He family was also involved in the Zong family’s troubles, he suspected that there was something fishy going on.
Ning Shi asked, “Ren, who sent the threatening letter? Has your family found the culprit? Are you aware of the effects of the drink that the culprit asked your family to help produce?”
Zong Shangren shook his head and said, “I am not privy to the details. My father kept it from me and only told me to go home quickly. I only knew about this incident when my elder brother told me. He did so because he was worried that I would be in danger at school.”
He continued, “According to him, the second threatening letter was sent at noon the day before yesterday, and the deadline is tomorrow noon. After tomorrow noon, if our family doesn’t give a clear answer, the culprit will start a massacre in our house.
“The Investigation Department has already sent quite a few additional experts to my house, but my father doesn’t trust them. When the three nannies died, the Investigation Department’s people were present in my house and they didn’t find anything amiss. So, my father has hired an expert himself.”
Those who could expand their business to the entire country and become top tycoons were not ordinary folk.
This was especially so for a veteran in a traditional industry like Zong Qing. He had been in the business for decades and had a strong network in political and business circles.
“Who did your father invite?” Ning Shi asked curiously.
Zong Shangren frowned and said, “My family and the Yi family have been friends for generations. My aunt married Yi Guoqing. Yi Shengjia is my cousin. Originally, my father was going to ask my uncle-in-law to come over to help. Unfortunately, my uncle-in-law has a very important matter that popped up at the last minute that he has to attend to, so he sent Yi Shengjia over to deal with this matter.”
From Zong Shangren’s tone, Ning Shi could sense the former’s hostility towards Yi Shengjia.
The two of them were technically cousins. Even if they were not the best of friends, they should not be enemies.
There was definitely a hidden story behind this.
However, this was his disciple’s private matter. Ning Shi did not want to probe.
Since this matter was related to the safety of his disciple’s family and also involved the very problematic He family, Ning Shi decided to pay the Zong family a visit.
He said to Zong Shangren, “Buy tickets for the earliest flight back to your hometown. I’ll travel back with you and settle this matter as soon as possible. You’ll have to rush back tomorrow afternoon to participate in the selection.”
He continued, “Your main task now is to cultivate and compete. I will take care of your family matters, so don’t worry too much.”
When he heard Ning Shi’s words, Zong Shangren was both happy and touched. He thanked Ning Shi seriously. “Thank you, Master! I’ll buy the tickets now.”
Zong Shangren quickly booked a 5 p.m. flight. The two of them took a taxi and rushed to the airport.
Fortunately, the flight was only half an hour late.
The plane took off at 5:30 p.m. and landed at Shangmo City’s Chang Hong Airport at 7:10 p.m.
Zong Shangren had already told his family that Ning Shi was coming.
The Zong family welcomed Ning Shi’s arrival with open arms.
The Zong family’s eldest son, who was also Zong Shangren’s elder brother, Zong Shangcheng, had personally come to pick them up from the airport.
Zong Shangcheng said, “Principal Ning, thank you for coming all this way to help us. My father couldn’t come to welcome you personally because he needed to stay at home. He specifically asked me to express my apologies. He has mentioned to me many times that he wants to host a grand apprenticeship ceremony for Shangren and you. He hopes that you won’t turn us down.”
Zong Shangren had once mentioned to Ning Shi that his family wanted to hold an apprenticeship ceremony for Ning Shi, but the latter had rejected it.
For one, Ning Shi didn’t like to be extravagant. Secondly, he didn’t have any good memories of the apprenticeship ceremony.
To a traditional family like the Zong family, it was extremely rude for their children to not hold a proper ceremony to formally acknowledge their master.
Ning Shi waved his hand and said courteously, “Mr. Zong, you’re welcome. We’re all young people, so we should speak freely.”
Zong Shangcheng was 28 years old this year and had just graduated not long ago. He did not like to be pedantic either; all this was forced upon him by Zong Qing.
Hearing Ning Shi’s words, he knew that Ning Shi wasn’t a person who put on airs. So, he tugged at the expensive tie around his neck and completely pulled it off.
“Haha, Principal Ning, this is much more comfortable. Let’s go. The car is in the underground parking lot. Once we get into the car, I’ll tell you more about the situation at home.”
Zong Shangcheng was very surprised when he saw Zong Shangren follow behind Ning Shi obediently.
His little brother was a devil incarnate at home. Even his father couldn’t control him. Zong Shangcheng hadn’t expected him to be so obedient to Principal Ning Shi.
Based on this alone, Zong Shangcheng could tell that there was more to Ning Shi than met the eye.
When they arrived at the underground parking lot, the driver was already waiting in the car. It was an extended version of a Rolls Royce.
In the past, Ning Shi might have looked disdainful on the surface, but he would definitely be thrilled to see such a top luxury car.
However, his worldview was different now. He could have any luxury car at his fingertips, so he was calm when he saw the car.
Zong Shangcheng motioned for his brother to sit in the front seat, while he accompanied Ning Shi in the back.
He opened the wooden wine cabinet in the middle of the back seat and took out a bottle of red wine.
Ning Shi quickly said, “Mr. Zong, I don’t drink, so just tell me about your family’s current situation.”
Zong Shangcheng put the red wine back and took out a tea set. The back of this luxury car had been completely transformed into a reception room.
The driver saw Zong Shangcheng’s actions and skillfully set the car to cruise. In addition, the road conditions in Shangmo City were very good, so the ride was smooth.
Zong Shangcheng plugged in the kettle and boiled the water as he began to say, “Principal Ning, I’m sure Shangren has told you about the threatening letters.”
“To prevent Shang Ren from worrying, I concealed part of their contents. The letter stated that if our Zong family doesn’t cooperate with the other party, after tomorrow noon, our entire family will die. Not a single person would be spared. In order to make us believe the contents of the letter, a cousin of mine, who was in charge of my family business in Central City, was killed by them,” he added.
He continued, “After listening to the opinions of another cousin of ours and the Investigation Department, Father hesitated for a long time before deciding to gather all the Zong family members.”
Ning Shi did not speak. In such times, every decision was difficult.
If all of their relatives returned to the Zong residence, it would be easy for them to be wiped out by the other party. However, if everyone was scattered outside, none of them could be protected at all.
When they returned to the Zong residence, the Investigation Department and the experts hired by the Zong family would be there. They would at least have a chance of survival.
Many people in the Zong family believed that the person who sent the threatening letter would not dare to come to the residence to cause trouble after tomorrow noon.
If the other party came to cause trouble, with the experts currently stationed in the Zong family residence, the former would be dealt with on the spot.
If they didn’t come, it would be equivalent to guarding against thieves. The experts hired by the Investigation Department and the Zong family wouldn’t be able to protect them for too long a time.
Once this protective force was gone, the Zong family would be in danger again.
Even Zong Shangcheng had complicated feelings over this.
He wanted the culprit to come to seek his own death, but he was also afraid that the other party was too powerful and his family would not be able to handle them.
Zhong Shangcheng revealed, “The Investigation Department has already guessed the source of the threatening letter.”
Ning Shi’s expression changed, and he asked tentatively, “Is it the He family?”
Zong Shangcheng nodded his head solemnly. “The He family’s behavior has been very abnormal over the past one to two months. The Investigation Department has been observing them since the beginning. After the threatening letter incident at my house, He Yunfan actually dared to call my father directly to tell him that the He family had also been threatened. He claimed that resistance was futile and many people had died. He wanted us to cooperate with the culprit, just like the He family did.”
Ning Shi was also speechless. He Yunfan’s behavior was undoubtedly like a player directly exposing his identity as a wolf during a game. The phone call he made was practically telling everyone that there was a problem with the He family.
With He Yunfan’s methods and wisdom, how could he have acted so foolishly?
The water in the kettle was boiling. Zong Shangcheng rinsed the teacups and began to make tea.
“The Investigation Department has checked the handwriting of the threatening letters and found that it is very similar to He Yunfan’s handwriting. There are only some minor differences,” he said as he made tea.
Ning Shi could not help but ask, “During such critical times, wouldn’t it be better to capture the wrong person than let the culprit roam free? Did the Investigation Department take any action against the He family?”
Zong Shangcheng shook his head. He placed the teacup in front of Ning Shi and poured him a cup of tea.
He then explained, “There are three main reasons why the Investigation Department hasn’t taken action yet. Firstly, the He family is a wealthy family that is renowned throughout the entire country. They have deep connections. Without concrete evidence, the Investigation Department wouldn’t dare to touch them as it would leave a bad impression.
Secondly, He Yunfan had been very kind in his early years. He had donated money to many poor students and even raised 311 children under his umbrella. Not only did he raise them, but he also contributed money and manpower to their marriages and house purchases. Among the 311 children, one of them is now a high-ranking officer in the government.
If there is concrete evidence, with the upright personality of the officer, he will not stand in the way of the department getting rid of the He family. However, if they were to touch the He family based on groundless accusations, who would face the wrath of the officer if it was a misunderstanding?
The last and most important reason is that the Investigation Department still can’t figure out how the three nannies died in my house.”
Zong Shangcheng drank a cup of tea and said bitterly, “Despite being under the protection of three consultants and an entire brigade from the Investigation Department, the three nannies all died mysteriously. In order to ensure everyone’s safety, my house is now equipped with surveillance cameras with no blind spots. From the surveillance footage, the three nannies were fine one moment and fell to the ground dead the next. After they died, their eyes were wide open and they had fearful expressions, as if they had seen something terrifying.”
He continued, “All the women in the house, including my mom, are praying to the Buddha at home, saying that there’s a ghost in the house! The Investigation Department can’t figure out the enemy’s methods. Rashly making a move on the He family is equivalent to alerting the enemy.”
